


Thanks Nino

by Earthseed (LeaveAMark)



Series: grin and bear it 'til you can't no more ( i can't no more) [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, F/F, Nino is best bro, adrien is clueless, alya may or may not be tipsy, happy endings? what are those?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-05-19 17:37:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19361542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeaveAMark/pseuds/Earthseed
Summary: Nino’s flat is a great hiding place.





	Thanks Nino

_Friday 2:05 am_  
Alya: hey, you still up?  
Nino: yeeh  
Alya: u in your flat?  
Nino: Nah club in Marais  
Alya: working?  
Nino: yep finishing up  
Alya: ok I’ll wait downstairs  
Nino: you alright?  
Alya: idk  
Alya: not really  
Nino: omw 

___________________________________

The wine lied to Alya. It lured her halfway down the bottle with promises of comfortable numbness. Instead it made her sluggish and sad. 

“Dude? You awake?” Nino shook the blanket covered lump that was occupying his couch. 

“Hmmhmm.”

“Al, you should eat something.” 

The lump revealed her head and stuck out an arm. “I have wine and chocolate. Breakfast of champions.”

Alya tried to retreat back into her blanket burrow but Nino snatched the blanket off her. Goosebumps rippled up Alya’s arms, across her chest, and down her legs.

“Hey! Rude.” Alya grasped for her shell but Nino held it out of reach. 

“You need to talk to her.”

Alya crumpled, she hugged her knees over her heart. “I did. She made her feelings very clear.”

Nino dropped onto the couch next to Alya. “Very clear feels like an exaggeration.”

“She looked me dead in the eye and told him that she ‘wasn’t dating right now to focus on her career’.” Tears crystallized in the corners of Alya’s eyes. “That’s pretty fucking clear.”

Nino put his arm around Alya’s shoulders and held her. “I’m sure she has a reasonable explanation--”

“I don’t know why I’m surprised.” Alya interlocked her fingers around her wine glass. “I let her--I told her to sleep with him. I’ve always known how she felt about him. I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid”

“I’m an idiot.” Alya flopped backwards into Nino’s lap. “ She never really loved me.”  
“Alya--”

“It’s true. If she loved me, like actually loved me, she wouldn’t have fucked him. It wouldn't have even crossed her mind. ” Alya tilted her head back and drained the glass. “God, this wine is doing nothing.” Her arm went limp, the wine glass tumbled from her fingers.

“Marinette rejected Adrien’s proposal.” Nino reached over Alya to catch her rogue glass. 

“Sure. She rejected him, but she didn’t choose me.”

Nino dropped his eyes to the sad brown girl in his lap. “You’ve lost me.”

Alya exhaled a lungful of air. “Marinette didn’t choose me when it mattered most. The universe asked her ‘who do you love the most?’ and she ran away.” Alya buried her eyes in the crook of her arm.“I just want her to love me. Is that crazy? Am I crazy?”

Nino pulled Alya up into a proper hug so that she could soak his shoulder with tears and snot without the world watching. 

“Is there a bee hiding in your butt?” Alya asked ( with all seriousness) into Nino’s shoulder.

“Very funny.” Nino slid his phone out from under him, keeping the screen out of Alya’s sight. “I need to take this. There’s curry in the fridge. Eat it.”

Alya wiped her tears, her lips stretched into a weak smile. Nino shut his bedroom door.

“What’s up dude?”

“My life is falling apart.” Nino could practically see Adrien falling melodramatically onto his million thread count sheets.  
“Is it now?”

“It is. Love is dead Nino. My love, your love, everyones’ love is dead.” 

“Marinette said no?” Nino heard the sliding of sheets as Adrien flipped onto his stomach

“She wants to ‘focus on her work’. Was I too late? I know she used to have a huge crush on me.” 

“Maybe she actually wants to focus on her designs. Alya mentioned Marinette has a big show coming up.”

“A show? When?” There was an excitement to Adrien’s voice that made Nino very nervous. 

Nino now understood the paralyzing terror of bomb deactivators. One wrong word and this conversation would burst into a cloud of dangerous shrapnel. 

“You should ask Marinette that.” 

“No, no, I want to surprise her. I’ll ask Alya.”

“Waitmaybedon’t---”

“Thanks man. I owe you one.” Nino tossed his phone onto the bed and fell backwards next to it. He glared at the now silent device. A gnawing sense of dread awakened in Nino’s stomach. 

“Nino! You want some curry?” Alya didn’t need to yell (Nino’s flat was the size of a shoebox; her normal speaking voice would have carried into the neighbors flat), but she did every time anyway.

Nino rolled off the bed. He hovered in the kitchen doorway, leaning against the door jamb. Alya had draped the blanket over her shoulders and looked very much like a sleeping bat. She was shoulder deep in Nino’s fridge, assessing its contents. 

“You have negative amounts of food Nino.”

“There’s a whole curry in there.”

“And that's it.”

Nino huffed and crossed his arms in indignation “ I have food.”

“Half a baguette, a curry your mom made, a moldy block of cheese, and cheap wine is not food.” 

“Hey--”

Three rapid knocks. Nino opened the door and shrapnel came flying into the flat. 

“Hi, um is Alya here?” Marinette’s eyes were red. Her signature ponytails had merged into a messy off-center bun. 

“Now isn’t a good time.”

“Please, she hasn’t--”

“Who’s there?” Alya stepped out of the kitchen. 

“Alya,” Marinette pushed past Nino. “Are you okay?”

Alya let her legs go weak and trusted the couch to catch her. “I’ve been better”

“I called. And texted. You weren't answering so I went to Nora’s place and the Twin’s flat but neither of them had seen or heard from you. You didn’t come home last night. I was so worried.” 

Marinette sat next to Alya. She reached for her girlfriend but Alya recoiled. 

“I’m fine. I haven’t looked at my phone.”

“Is this about Adrien?”

Alya picked at a loose thread in the blanket. The houseplant didn’t dare breathe.

“Alya?” 

“Do you want to date Adrien?” Alya’s voice was barely a whisper.

“N--”

“Don’t lie to me. Just tell me. Do you want to be with Adrien?” Alya's tears dried and hardened into impenetrable, unfeeling, steel. She locked eyes with Marinette and didn’t let go.

“I used to want him--” Marinette began but Alya had heard enough. She groaned and stood, hunching over to keep the blanket from slipping off her shoulders. “Wait wait wait! I used to Alya, used to. Past tense.”

The open bottle of cheap wine on Nino’s kitchen table started whispering drunk promises. Alya followed its cloying call. 

“Alya, please. I messed up I should have never slept with him. I should have told him that we’re dating. It was stupid. I shouldn’t have asked you to put my desires over your feelings. I’m so sorry Alya.” Marinette followed Alya into the kitchen

“But you did.” Alya choked the neck of the wine bottle. “Should have, could have, would have. Hypothetical scenarios, not real. You spending the night with Adrien and then neglecting to tell him you have a girlfriend. That’s real.” Alya took a long swig. “And that hurt. A lot.”

“Al--”

“No. It’s my turn. Do you know how hard it was to hear you whine about Adrien? Everyday? For a decade? I supported your attempts to confess because that’s what best friends do. All I want is for you to be happy. If Adrien makes you happy...” Alya let the bottle slip from her fingers. It landed with a thud on Nino’s table. “ Did you ever love me Marinette?”

Marinette wrapped her arms around Alya. Alya barely flinched. “Of course I did. I still do. I love you Alya.”

Alya’s blanket buzzed. 

_Sunday 12:07 pm  
Adrien: Hi Alya, Do you know when Marinette is having her fashion show? I want to surprise her. What’s her favourite flavour macaroon? Does she prefer roses or tulips? Could you sneak me pictures of her collection? I want to match my outfit to her designs. _

Alya’s laugh was sour. “He always had perfect timing. Roses or tulips?”

Marinette blinked. 

“Adrien wants to know if you prefer roses or tulips?” 

“What? Why?” Marinette sat in Nino’s single kitchen chair. 

“He’s going to woo you right out from under me. But he doesn’t know that.” Alya threw her phone onto Marinette’s lap. “Tell him yourself.”

“Baby please,” Marinette pleaded with Alya’s retreating back “ I’ll make it right. I’ll tell--”.

Nino’s bedroom door slammed; sending a hard gust of cold wind through the flat. 

Marinette covered her face with dewey palms. An arm wrapped around her shoulders. 

“Come back tomorrow. I’ll text you when she gets home from work.” Nino helped Marinette up and escorted her to the door. “She’s hurt. Let her cool off.”

“Thanks Nino.”

“No problem dude.”

Nino shut the door behind Marinette. “She’s gone.”

There was no response from the bedroom. 

Nino exhaled and gathered the wine and chocolate that Alya had abandoned. He knocked on the bedroom door. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

 

“Thanks Nino.”


End file.
